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Who this policy applies to

This Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) policy applies to registrants or applicants
previously known as mothercraft nurses.

Summary

The purpose of this policy is to:

confirm there is no national register (the register) for mothercraft nurse under the Health
Practitioner Regulation National Law as in force in each state and territory (National Law)

confirm there are no programs of study for mothercraft nursing

provide clarity about enrolled nurses on the register with the notation “May only practice in the area
of mothercraft nursing’ and ‘Does not hold a Board approved qualification in medication
administration’ against their registration

provide clarity about the pathway to registration for applicants previously registered as mothercraft
nurses prior to the commencement of the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme
(National Scheme); and

clarify the pathway for people who hold a mothercraft nurse qualification but have never held
registration.

From 1 July 2010, with the commencement of the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (National Scheme), mothercraft nursing has not been a registration type on the NMBA register. All mothercraft nurses on the registers from NSW, VIC and TAS on 30 June 2010 transitioned to registration as an Enrolled Nurse (EN) with the notation ‘May only practise in the area of mothercraft nursing’. These nurses will also have a notation ‘Does not hold a Board approved qualification in medication administration’ (see below for explanation).

Nurses currently on the register as an EN with the notations ‘May only practise in the area of mothercraft nursing’ and ‘Does not hold a Board approved qualification in medication administration’.

An EN with the notations ‘May only practise in the area of mothercraft nursing’ and ‘Does not hold a Board approved qualification in medication administration’ must continue to meet all registration standards relevant to their context of practice in order to renew registration.

An EN with the notations ‘May only practise in the area of mothercraft nursing’ and ‘Does not hold a Board approved qualification in medication administration’ has not been educationally prepared as an EN. These nurses are not eligible for enrolment into NMBA-approved medicine administration units and would need to successfully complete an NMBA approved program of study leading to registration as an EN (a Diploma of Nursing, including the medication administration unit) to be eligible to have the notations removed.

People who have been previously registered as mothercraft nurses but have let their registration lapse (either before or after 1 July 2010) can apply to return to the register as an EN with the notation ‘May only practise in the area of mothercraft nursing’ and the notation ‘Does not hold a Board approved qualification in medication administration’. However, these applicants must meet all the eligibility requirements for registration as set out in the NMBA mandatory registration standards including the Recency of practice and Continuing professional development registration standard.

An individual who was previously registered as a mothercraft nurse or as an EN with the notations ‘May only practise in the area of mothercraft nursing’ and ‘Does not hold a Board approved qualification in medication administration, who does not satisfy the requirement for recency of practice may be directed to a NMBA-approved period of supervised practice.

As there are no re-entry to practice programs for mothercraft nursing an applicant who is not assessed as appropriate for supervised practice will need to undertake a NMBA approved program of study leading to initial registration as an EN.

People who have gained a qualification in mothercraft nursing but have never been registered (prior to or post 1 July 2010) are not eligible for registration under the National Law. These people would need to undertake a NMBA approved program of study leading to initial registration as an EN.

Enrolled Nurse with the notation ‘may only practice in the area of mothercraft nursing’ and the notation ‘Does not hold a Board approved qualification in medication administration’

Refers to:

A registrant who held registration as a mothercraft nurse and had their registration changed to registration as an Enrolled Nurse (EN) on 1 July 2010, with the notation ‘May only practise in the area of mothercraft nursing and the notation ‘Does not hold a Board approved qualification in medication administration’, or

An individual who was previously registered as a mothercraft nurse or as an EN with the notations ‘May only practise in the area of mothercraft nursing’ and the notation ‘Does not hold a Board approved qualification in medication administration’ but let their registration lapse, and have returned to the register after consideration and approval by the NMBA.